Fruit and vegetable assorting apparatus



I 1933- A. D. EDGAR 1,923,713

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE ASSORTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19, 1932 wan Fig. 1

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Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED STATES FRUIT AND VEGETABLE ASSORTING APPARATUS Alfred D. Edgar, Presque Isle, Maine, dedicated to the free use of the Government and the People of the United States Application September 19, 1932 Serial No. 633,860

3 Claims.

(Granted under the Act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without thepayment to me of any royalty thereon.

I hereby dedicate the same to the free use of the Government and the people of the United States.

My invention which I desire to secure by Letters Patent relates to an assorting apparatus, and more particularly to an assorting apparatus adapted for fruits and vegetables, and has for its object to provide a series of sorting belts mounted one above the other in such manner and in such relation to each other as to permit the fruits or vegetables to be sorted to pass over such a machine and sorted, according to size, with the least possible tendency to inflict cuts or bruises upon or to abrase the skin of these perishable products, during the process of sorting.

Broadly speaking the improved apparatus is characterized by screening or sorting surfaces made up of two sets of ropes or cables of differing cross sectional diameter extending longitudinally in parallel equally spaced arrangement. The two sets of cables are supported on andoperate over a series of grooved rollers or equivalent rotary members mounted to revolve on axes extending transversely of the cables and are so reeved about the several rollers that in a portion of their travel the two sets of ropes intermember to form a-single screen belt and at another portion of their travel the two sets of ropes diverge, each set of ropes forming a separate sorting belt, with the set of smaller diameter ropes extending above the set of larger diameter ropes. The two sets of ropes being each spaced at equal distances between centers of ropes, it follows that the openings between the smaller diameter ropes are wider than the openings between the ropes of larger diameter, the difierence in width of the openings in the two belts being due and equal to the difierence between the diameters of the two sets of ropes. Since the sorting belt formed by the smaller ropes extends above the sorting belt formed by the larger ropes, it follows that as the two belts separate and diverge, the one above the other, the upper sorting belt formed by the smaller ropes presents larger openings than the lower sorting belt formed by the larger ropes.

The apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a plan view, Fig. 2 a longitudinal vertical section, Fig. 3 is an end view, as viewed from the delivery end of the apparatus; Fig. 4 a section at A-A in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a section at B-B, Fig. 2 and Fig. 6 a detail of the rope belt tension adjusting sheaves.

Like figures designate similar parts throughou the several views.

The sorting apparatus comprises a frame 1 supported on casters 2, and having journaled thereon a series of transverse grooved rollers, 3, 4, 5, 6 and '7 and a series of smaller grooved spacing rollers, 15, the grooves in all the rollers being in longitudinal alignment so that ropes or cables reeved therein will be in parallel spaced arrangement. Alternate grooves in rollers 5, 6 and '7 and corresponding grooves in roller 3, are formed to receive a rope of relatively small diameter, while the intervening grooves on rollers 5, 6 and 7 and corresponding grooves on roller 4 are formed to receive a rope of relatively larger diameter. An endless rope or cable belt 9 of relatively large diameter, in cross section, is reeved successively over the larger grooves in rollers 4, 5, 6 and '7 and over the belt tensioning sheaves 35 and 36. Sheaves 35 and 36 also serve as cross-over sheaves to return the rope belt 9 from the last groove of roller 4 to the first groove of roller 5. An endless rope or cable belt 8, of relatively smaller diameter in cross section is reeved successively over the smaller grooves of rollers 5, 6, 7 and 3, guide sheaves l0 and 11, guide rollers 12 and 13 and tension adjusting sheaves 37 and 38. Grooved spacing rollers 15 at suitable intervals keep the rope strands in correct spacing in those portions of the belts which serve as screens.

Screen belts 8 and 9 are both driven by electric motor 16 through double reduction gears 1'718 and 19-420, driving sprocket on the same shaft with gear 20, driving chain 22, driven sprocket 23 on shaft carrying grooved roller 4, and driven sprocket 24 on shaft carrying grooved roller 3. The arrows adjacent to the belts indicate the direction of movement of the same.

The portion of the screen conveyor belt between grooved roller 6 and '7 is made up of the two belts, 8 and 9 interm mbered, so that the small and large ropes alternate in arrangement, as shown in Fig. 4 which is a transverse section at A-A, Fig. 2. Side boards 2'? and 28 retain the fruit or vegetables on the screen belt.

On reaching grooved roller 7, the two belts diverge, thesmaller ropes 8 continuing without changing their direction of movement while the large ropes are deflected in passing roller '7 and move forward on a less steep incline so that the screen belt formed by these larger ropes moves below that 'formed by the smaller ropes 8, as shown in Fig. 5, which is a section at BB, Fig. 2.

The lower screen belt 9-is provided with side boards, '29 and 30, which are provided with beveled strips 31 which guide the articles sorted over to the ropes and prevent small articles from falling through or becoming wedged betweenthe side boards and the outermost ropes on either side of the belt. I

The operation of the sorting apparatus is as follows: Potatoes or other products to be sorted are delivered on the screen belt at a point adjacent to grooved roller 6 and are carried forward and upward by the movement of th rope belts. Dirt or small particles accompanying the material to be sorted falls through the openings in the belt into chute 40 which conducts it to one side and delivers it into a suitable receptacle. Passing grooved roller '7 articles'too large to pass through openings in upper screen belt 8 are carried along on the belt and delivered over roller .3 and inclined chute 33 onto picking or hand sorting belt'32, having side boards 34 to retain articles on belt. Articles too small to be retained on ropes of sorting belt 8 roll through openings in that belt as the ropes of sorting belt 9 diverge from those of belt 8, and, if of sufiicient size to be retained on sortingbelt 9 are carriedforwardby it over grooved roller 4 and delivered; via chute 39 to a barrel, bag or other container placed opposite end of chute. Articles too .small'to be retained on sorting belt 9 roll through openings in belt onto chute 41, which delivers them into any suitable receptacle.

The separation of the various sizes of articles takes place as the twobelts diverge and separate,,accompanied by a rolling movement of the articles as the sizes separate. The separation of the. several sizes of articles with this sorting apparatus is characterized by a smooth continuous forward movement of the sorted material along diverging paths, with no tendency to cause the :articles sorted to drop from a height orin any manner to collide violently with each other or withsany part of the sorting apparatus, so that the separation of the several sizes is accomplished with no tendency to inflict bruises or abrasions onthe articles sorted. Another property of the apparatus which contributes to the same end is dueto the fact that the sorting belts are formed :by parallel ropes, approximately cylindrical surfaces and therefore presenting no fiat spots or blank areas upon which articles small enough to pass between the ropes may become balanced on the'belt and carried along on it and delivered into the wrong receptacle.

The absence of any tendency for articles to become so lodged and incorrectly carried along upon the belts renders unnecessary any means for jolting or vibrating the sorting belts for the purpose of dislodging such articles, thereby the sorting belts move steadily forwardin a smooth even mannerwith no jerking or shaking, which might cause the articles carried on the belts to bump or bruise each other.

I am aware that sorting belts composed of ropes or cables in parallel spaced arrangement are not new as more particularly shown by Patents #636,672; #835,805; #1,232,052, and #1276905. I do not, therefore, claim such an arrangement broadly, what I claim as new, and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

"1. In an assorting apparatus, the combination with a screening surface made up of rope belts of two sizes of substantially cylindrical ropes or cables in alternate, parallel, equally-spaced arrangement, of a second screen surface formed by the smaller ropes of the first screening surface, a thirdscreening surface formed by the larger ropes of the "first screening surface, said third screening surface extending below said second screening surface and'forming an acute angle therewith.

2. An assorting apparatus, comprising two screening surfaces extending one above the other and forming an acute angle with each other, both screening surfaces formed by parallel, substantially cylindrical ropes or cables equally spaced between centres of ropes, the ropes in upper screening surface being of smaller diameter than the ropes in lower'screening surface, a third screening surface formed by the ropes of the other two screening surfaces intermembered in alternation so that alternate ropes in said third screening surface are of relatively small diameter and the intervening ropes of relatively large diameter.

3..An assorting apparatus, comprising screening surfaces formed by two sets of parallel rope or cable belts, spaced'at equal distances between centresiof ropes, the ropes in each set of belts being of the same size but differing in size from the ropes of the other set, a screening surface composed of both the two sets of ropes intermembered in alternate arrangement so that alternate ropes in the screening surface are of relatively smaller diameter and intervening ropes of larger diameter, a second screening surface formed by the smaller ropes alone, a third screening surface formed by the larger ropes alone, extending below the second screening surface and at an acute angle with the same, rotary members adapted to support said rope belts in parallel equally spaced arrangement, and means for driving said rope belts. V

ALFRED D. EDGAR. 

